Italy privacy watchdog hails ECJ ruling

(ANSA) - Rome, October 6 - Privacy watchdog Antonello Soro on Tuesday hailed a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that US data storage systems operated by Facebook and other digital operators do not protect customers from State surveillance.
    Today's ruling is a victory for the Austrian law student Maximilian Schrems, who initially brought a claim against Facebook in Ireland in the wake of Edward Snowden's revelations about the activities of the US National Security Agency (NSA).
    "The United States safe harbor scheme...enables interference, by United States public authorities, with the fundamental rights of persons," said the ECJ, whose findings are binding on all EU member States.
    Safe harbour is an agreement between the European Commission and the US that provides guidance for US firms on how to protect the personal data of EU citizens, as required by European Union directives. "The ECJ has placed the issue of fundamental rights back at the center of States' agendas," Soro said.
    "We need a coordinated response at the European level, including from privacy watchdogs," he added.
    "We're assessing the most effective ways to come up with common guidelines".
    The ECJ ruling is a "milestone that makes it clear that mass surveillance violates our fundamental rights," said Schrems.